Drew Hutchison pitched a complete game three-hit shutout as the Blue Jays beat Yu Darvish and the Rangers 2-0 on Friday night in Arlington.
Yes, you read that correctly. A Toronto Blue Jay pitched nine consecutive innings in the same game, and did not allow a run. While the stats don’t show it, we’ve been trying to tell you that Dr. Drew has been the Jays’ best pitcher so far this year. He elevated his game tonight, matching Darvish inning-for-inning. He’s going to open some heads with more outings like that.
The Great:
Obviously, Hutch, but he needed a Starsky, too. Tonight we’ll give it to Anthony Gose. After Erik Kratz dropped down a bunt single to open the 8th, Gose laid down one of his own. It could have been a sacrifice, but he placed it perfectly and beat it out. Two batters later, he scored on a double down the right field line by Melky Cabrera.
The Good:
Adam Lind had two hits off Darvish, and is now 5-for-11 against the tough righty in his career.
The Mediocre:
Jose Reyes was 0-for-4. Jose Bautista was 0-for-3 with three Ks (which is eye-popping). Edwin Encarnacion was 0-for-4 with two Ks. Full credit to Darvish, though. He was magnificent, Hutch was just that much better.
The Next:
Toronto looks to move two games over .500 in a somewhat-rare Saturday night affair. The pitching matchup could not be more lopsided in the Blue Jays’ favour. It’s Mark Buehrle, looking to become the MLB’s first eight-game winner this season, while the Rangers counter with Robbie Ross Jr, who is 0-4 with a 7.65 ERA in his last five starts. Opponents are hitting .361 off him over that stretch. If there is a better guy to get the bats back on track against after a tough night, I haven’t heard of him.
Jays Balk 